Lenovo Vibe X2: First Impressions

We at NDTV Gadgets got a chance to spend some time with the Lenovo Vibe X2, and these are our first impressions.

The Lenovo Vibe X2 has a unique, colourful 'multi-layered' design, which certainly looks fresh compared to the kind of designs we are used to seeing these days. From the side you can see three stacked layers of different colours, apart from the front, which is black.

Lenovo says that the unibody frame is made of 'Magnesium Alloy' and has a fingerprint-resistant coating. The device feels solid and premium in hand, and the fingerprint problem has indeed been taken care of. The Vibe X2 measures 140.2x68.6x7.27mm and weighs 120 grams.

The power key and volume rocker are on the right edge, and the 3.5mm headphone jack is on top. The left edge hosts a SIM card tray that can accommodate one Micro-SIM and one Nano-SIM. The Vibe X2 supports dual standby. Band 3 and band 40 LTE will work in India. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, and Micro-USB.

The Vibe X2's multi-layered concept extends to enable snap-on accessories called Vibe Xtensions which look like additional layers. At just 5.1mm thin, Lenovo's Vibe X2 Battery can be clipped on to the device just like a cover, to keep it charged.

The second accessory is called Vibe X2 Speaker, a clip-on Bluetooth speaker which can also function as a stand. Interestingly, it includes a battery which the company claims can provide five hours of uninterrupted audio playback.

While the Vibe X2 Battery will be available this month on Flipkart, the Vibe X2 Speaker will come in December, said Lenovo during the launch in New Delhi

The Vibe X2 features a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920-pixel) IPS screen and runs Android 4.4 KitKat with Vibe UI 2.0. The screen appears very vibrant, but we had a little difficulty with it in bright light outdoors.

Lenovo said during the launch event that it is betting heavily on the Vibe 2.0 UI, as it is intuitive and different from others. We quite like some of the features we were able to see, but Lenovo's improvements need to be examined in depth, which we will do in our full review.

On the camera front, the Vibe X2 has a 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera. We did test both cameras in outdoor as well as indoor lighting conditions, and they performed decently. (sample image below - click to enlarge)

The Lenovo Vibe X2 is powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6595m processor. It comes with 2GB of RAM and includes 32GB of inbuilt storage. In the battery department, the Vibe X2 uses a non-removable Li-Po 2300mAh battery. According to Lenovo, battery life is the best in its class.

In our limited time with this phone, we felt that it operates smoothly and it could handle multitasking with ease. It will be interesting to see that how Lenovo handles competing devices such as Huawei's Honor 6 (Review | Pictures) which costs the same amount and is buzzing in the market with its octa-core Kirin 920 processor and 3GB of RAM. Do stay tuned for more detailed observations and comprehensive test results in our full review.